Bringing the best medicine

to the under-circused everywhere.

Spreading circus joy from Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, to the West Bank of Palestine, to the curfewed streets of Cairo, the Emergency Circus brings laughs and love where health and happiness struggle.

Our Troup Manifesto

Composed of superhuman circus performers from around the globe, Emergency Circus administers inspirational circus shows and workshops to the hospitalized, the homeless, the imprisoned, & the under-circused everywhere.

This non-profit seeks to inspire, entertain, and enliven humanity in peril. Through spectacle, performance and the power of the human spirit, the Emergency Circus are out to achieve the seemingly impossible. To replace fear and grief with laughter and joy, if only for a little while.

Follow us on our continuing Adventures!

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Thank you for keeping up with us! We're an energetic troup.

Puerto Rico Needs US, Please Donate today

Send us to Hurricane-Torn Puerto Rico! They need us. Visit www.youcaring.com/emergencycircus for more info and to donate now.

The Project

On September 20th 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the US island of Puerto Rico. Months later, citizens remain without shelter, power, or clean water. Recovery efforts from the US government have been minimal compared to other disasters of similar magnitude in the US. The New York Times reports, "Public health officials warn that Puerto Rico is teetering on the edge of a full fledged mental health crisis." Even as access to necessities like electricity and clean water slowly return to the island, the trauma remains.

After bringing circus joy and spectacle to victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston and fire shelters in Northern California, the Emergency Circus has been called upon once again to bring our unique brand of healing through laughter and inspiration to the situation in Puerto Rico. During the month of January, the Emergency Circus will circumnavigate the entire island with a three-tiered plan of action.

Perform We will team up with local artists to visit hospitals, shelters, and public spaces to perform interactive and inspirational circus shows. We will teach workshops to build community and share laughter to elevate and enliven.

Activate We are partnering with local group, Taller Liberta, to establish and sustain a creative community space on the west side of the island in Mayagüez. This center will host workshops and gatherings of all kinds for years to come.

Document We will release episodic adventures highlighting the hopes and frustrations of the Puerto Rican people in their own words. We will strive to share an unfiltered observation of what's really happening.

The People

Over the past 5 years the Emergency Circus has been delivering joy to hospitals, homeless shelters, refugee camps, disaster areas, and other under-circused places in over 30 countries. We know first hand the positive impact this kind of interactive spectacle can create. This project will be comprised of 5 main performers including some Puerto Rican artists.

Chicle: Circus artist and humanitarian clown from and currently living in Puerto Rico.

The Proceeds

This project simply cannot occur without the generous support of people like you who believe in the healing power of laughter and empathy. All tax-deductible donations we raise will benefit people on the island. Travel to, from, and around the island will be our main expense. Every effort will be made to support the local economies we visit. Money for our food, transportation, and accommodations will go directly into the communities we visit. Every mosquito net, water filtration system, and generator we use will be remain on the island to be used by those in need. Any funds we raise beyond our initial needs will go directly to the creative community space we will establish on the west side of the island. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to this cause.

“We all laugh in the same language.”

Clay Mazing | Founder

The Emergency Circus were recently selected as the beneficiary at a Northern California festival called The Soup, who were able to raise a large donation for the Circus. Our new sponsor Many Mouths, One Stomach have been incredibly supportive and we have working with our lawyers and partners toward becoming our own non-profit.

We are currently performing multiple shows a day in Houston and east Texas for communities affected by Hurricane Harvey. This Hurricane Healing tour will continue through mid October. Next we plan on visiting people affected by fires in Northern California. In January, we plan to head to Puerto Rico for more Hurricane Healing!

Death and conflict surround the tiny country of Lebanon. With its north and west bordering Syria and its south bordering “the occupied land” as they say (Israel according to official US policy), the Mediterranean is their only peaceful neighbor. Five years ago, the horrors began next door and a river of refugees flooded the country.

Around one million Syrians have joined the half million Palestinian refugees to make up about one third of the countries population. They were all accepted because Lebanon knows the horrors of war and the bliss of peace.

The refugees who choose to live here say at least they can still see Syria and they can still hear the bombs so they know what’s going on. They keep hoping for those explosions to stop so they can go back and rebuild.

Lebanon may not have much to share, but they have some kind of a heart. And they have a few clowns. Emergency Circus joined Clown Me In at the beginning of both our tours for a party that neither we nor these smiling kids will soon forget.

You can help!

When you donate, you are bringing joy and relief to children and adults who have not had a chance to laugh in a long time.